Chapter Sixteen The Sky is Full of Stars

  Yu Yu said, "Director Li, I shouldn't have refused this good thing, but you want me to guarantee the top three places, which I dare not promise. This is a bit unreasonable, I'm just an instructor, and the person on stage is more crucial than me."

  Xia Ke immediately said to Yu Yue, grabbing her hand and saying, "Yu Jie, please, if the performance can enter the top three, I can be transferred to the commune propaganda team. Please help me. At first, Hong Mei wasn't doing well either, but after you coached her, she did fine."

  Li Wen said, "Auntie, the team's requirement is indeed a bit too much, but as long as you do your best, that's all. If we really can't get into the top three, they can't blame you for it."

  Yu Yu said, "Director Li, you are a honest man. If I agree and can't get this position in the future, the team can give me a bunch of charges. As a family member of an active counter-revolutionary, I have to guard against being framed. If you don't believe me, then let Xiaoshi sing it first."

  Then Xia Ke cleared his throat, sang a song with deep feeling "North Wind Blows - Wear Red Headscarf". After singing, he felt good about himself, "Yu Jie, how was my singing?"

  Yu Yu swallowed a fly but didn't dare speak the truth, so he asked Li Wen, "Director Li, what do you think?"

  Li Wen said, "Xiaojia's singing is indeed not great, but with a good teacher like you, who is the pillar of the provincial song and dance troupe and director, guiding such a small program, there shouldn't be any problems."

  Yu Yuemei said, "Alright, I'll sing a verse and then we can talk about this topic again." Then, Yu Yuemei cleared her throat and began to sing with great passion:

  "The north wind blows, snowflakes flutter. Snowflakes fluttering, the year arrives..."

  When Yuemonth finished singing, Li Wen and Xia Ke couldn't help but applaud. Li Wen had already realized that Xia Ke was not suitable for singing at all. Compared to Yuemonth's professional level, it was like the difference between a professor and a toddler still drinking milk.

  "Auntie, you agree to teach first, I'll go find Secretary Zhou and get this one removed."

  Li Wen returned to the big team, after a heated debate, Zhou Jianguo had no choice but to agree to cancel the last one. He knew that with Xia Ke's singing skills and physical condition, it was impossible for her to get into the top three, which was indeed a bit embarrassing.

  Xia Ke spent the whole day and night at Yu Yue's house for a week, and her progress was indeed very significant. She herself also had quite a bit of confidence. Li Wen was in charge of the rehearsal work, and she came to Yu Yue's house every day. Seeing Xia Ke's great progress, she was also very happy. But overall, she still felt that there was a big gap between Xia Ke and Zhou Hongmei from last year. She privately asked Yu Yue, "There are only two weeks left before the rehearsal, with Xia Ke's current level, can she enter the top three?"

  Yu Yuexia said, "I don't want to say anything, I'm just in charge of guidance, it all depends on Xia's performance on the spot."

  There is only one week left before the mass performance, and the commune, which has high hopes for Yujiacun Brigade's program, specially sends someone to inspect the preparation of the mass performance. Led by the deputy secretary of the commune, a group of people rushed to Yujiacun Brigade to watch the show.

  The deputy secretary finished watching the performance and didn't want to say a word, not even eating, he turned his head and wanted to leave. Zhou Jianguo was so disappointed that he felt like dying, Xia Ke couldn't even compare to Zhou Hongmei's hair, whether it was singing skills, appearance, stage presence or overall effect, none of them could be compared.

  Li Wen, who was directly responsible for this task, was even more disheartened. She blocked the leader's way and shouted loudly, "Secretary Yu, please stay!"

  Secretary Yu turned his head and said, "The commune has high hopes for you, hoping that your reserved program can add luster to the gathering performance. But the program is done like this, what do you want to do?"

  "Secretary Yu, don't be disappointed, we have high-level talent. Zhou Hongmei and Xia Ke's teacher is Yu Yueyue, who was once the leading actress of the Provincial Song and Dance Troupe, a renowned performing artist. As long as she takes the stage, I guarantee that our team will present a brilliant program to the commune, making this year's performance even more impressive than last year's."

  "Is there really such a person?" Secretary Yu turned his head and looked at Zhou Jianguo, who could only nod in agreement.

  "Let's take a look at the watch," said Secretary Yu, "Alright, ask her to come over. We'll take a look now. If it's good, we can have lunch here."

  "Alright, you wait a moment, I'll go and invite them now." Li Wen volunteered himself and rode his bike away.

  Yu Yuanyuan was working in her family's vegetable garden when Li Wenfeng rushed over, saying he wanted to take her to a performance. She thought about refusing but couldn't bring herself to say it, so she let Yu Songyuan and Shu Tong accompany him on their bicycles.

  Yu Yuemei went directly from the fields, wearing cloth shoes and rolled up pants, with a head full of sweat and a straw hat on her head. On the way, Li Wen told Xia Ke about the situation in detail. Yu Yuemei smiled and said, "I'm a family member of an active counter-revolutionary, let me perform, aren't you afraid of being labeled?"

  Li Wen said, "The deputy secretary of the commune is here, if anyone is to be detained, it should be him. What are you afraid of? I'm even less afraid."

  The leader was in a hurry, and Yu didn't hold out much hope for Secretary either. As soon as Yu arrived at the brigade headquarters, before he had even taken a sip of water, the erhu accompaniment began to play.

  He just put on a straw hat and started singing, throwing away the straw hat as he sang. As soon as the song began, the whole audience was shocked. Yu Songchun, who played Yang Bailao, still had makeup on, but he quickly became infected and entered the play. After one segment of "North Wind Blows", everyone was stunned and forgot to applaud.

  Yu finished singing, pulled down the towel from his neck to wipe off sweat, and was about to leave. Secretary Yu suddenly asked, "Comrade, wait a minute, can you sing other songs, such as 'Blood Tears Revenge - Never Forget Class Suffering'?"

  They had already walked to the door when they heard this, turned their heads back, were stunned for a moment, and then nodded. At this time, the band had started playing the wedding march, she turned around and began singing:

  "The sky is full of stars, the crescent moon shines brightly. In the production team's meeting, grievances are poured out and injustices are aired. The evil old society, the poor people's blood and tears of hatred. Thousands of threads, thousands of threads, surged into my heart. Endless bitter tears, hang on my chest!"

  "Don't forget that year, the north wind was bitterly cold. The landlord burst into my home, a big gang of lackeys. They said we owed him money, and also said we owed him grain. The ruthless robbers took away my mother. Pitiful me, this orphan, drifting in all directions!"

  ……

  After all, he is a performing artist, and he will come if he says so.

  Yu Yueyue almost cried while singing this song, with sadness, beauty, protest and resistance, all the necessary elements were there, the performance shocked the whole audience. After finishing, she covered her face with a towel, sniffling and picked up her straw hat to leave, only then did everyone remember to applaud. She didn't care about others, hastily walked out of the room, and went home for dinner with Yu Songyuan and Shu Tong.

  After Yu Meimei left, the leaders of the brigade were still immersed in the artistic enjoyment. The lingering sound was truly wonderful, and it lasted for three days. Even after she had been gone for a while, everyone felt that the beautiful singing voice was still echoing. Secretary Yu, who was in charge of propaganda and cultural work at the commune, was half an expert, and he did not expect that Yujiacun Village would hide such a true diva.

  At noon, Li Wen saw that Secretary Yu was in a good mood and asked with joy, "Secretary Yu, what do you think of our program?"

  Secretary Yu said, "Not just the whole commune, but the entire county, I'm afraid there's no one else who can sing at this level. It's settled then, let this comrade play the role of Xi Er. I want you all to rush into rehearsals and strive to add color to the performance, give a gift to the Party on its birthday!"

  Lunch was eaten at Xia Ke's house, and seeing Xia Ke's depressed look, Zhou Jianguo couldn't bear it, so he said: "Secretary Yu, it's just that this Yu Yueyue is still wearing a hat, her husband was executed as an active counter-revolutionary, will letting her go on stage...

  "A transformed person, full of proletarian feelings, singing out the deep hatred of the exploited and oppressed laboring masses towards the landlord class and old society, what does this explain? It explains that your Yujiacun Party branch has been very successful in her labor reform!"

  “……”

  Yu Shuji's persistence left Zhou Jianguo speechless.

  After the commune leader left, Zhou Jianguo had to organize a special meeting of the party branch of the big team and came to a conclusion: The current counter-revolutionary household belongs to Yueyue. Since being sent down, she has actively accepted re-education from poor and lower-middle peasants, thoroughly transforming her ideology, with obvious signs of progress. Therefore, it is agreed that she can participate in the commune's cultural performance.

  So Yuemonth finally participated in the concert.

  Yu Yuexia was a pillar of the provincial song and dance troupe, a dance teacher. In the remote countryside, there were few who could compare with such an artist in performing stage plays. "North Wind Blows" naturally won first prize without any suspense at the joint performance, and became one of the commune's reserved programs, and was transferred to the county to participate in performances. If it weren't for her current counter-revolutionary family member status, both the county cultural troupe and the commune propaganda team were eager to transfer her over.

  After the performance, many people were asking around, whose daughter was the girl who performed the happy child in Yujiacun production team. When they learned that it was the mother of a 14 or 15-year-old boy, many people were shocked and didn't believe it.

  Although Li Wen was the leader, the professor and others were still worried, so Yu Xinhe let Yu Songyuan take his three younger brothers to accompany Yuer from start to finish in the performances of the commune and county.

  Yu Yuemei, after finishing her makeup, looked like a lotus flower emerging from the water, with a beauty that surpassed that of flowers. Her elegant appearance and singing skills, as well as her rich stage presence, shocked the entire theater time and time again. Of course, it also thoroughly captivated the heart of young Yu Songyuan. His heart trembled repeatedly, and he also repeatedly made a vow to himself in his heart: In the future, I must find a beautiful girl who is exactly like Auntie to be my wife.

  Yu Yueyue is very careful with herself, during her performances, apart from performing, she even eats and stays with the four little flower fairies, not giving people like Zhou Jianguo any chance. And her performance is completely emotional, every person who has watched her perform will be heartbroken, will have their heart shattered.

  Every time she performs, when she sings "The north wind blows, the snowflakes flutter, the snowflakes flutter and fall, the year has come..." with her beautiful and mournful voice, tears have already flowed long ago. The audience in front of the stage can clearly see that the actor is crying from start to finish.

  Even if it's Father Yang Baolao coming back, she sings "Dad is back with two kilograms of flour, bringing home to make dumplings, happily celebrating the new year, alas... celebrating the new year..." At this time, the plot requires Xi'er to have a joyful and innocent smile. She smiles elegantly and happily, but big teardrops still fall on the stage.

  In the two grand performances, the leaders and audience sitting in the front row were all moved to tears. Even after many years, when Yuemonth had become a great artist, people still talked about that performance with relish, sighing with emotion.

  Young Yu Songyuan could feel that Auntie must have thought of her own and her family's experiences from Xi'er. Every time after the performance, Yu Yueyue would secretly cry until she was covered in tears, taking a long time to calm down, making Yu Songyuan and his brothers feel heartbroken and unable to express their distress.

  Summer arrived, the weather got hot, women wore less clothes, and men's testosterone secretion was too strong. Therefore, summer is also the high season for romantic affairs in the village. San Kui's wife was an old lover of the political team leader. During the wheat harvest, the two were caught in the act by San Kui while they were having a wild affair in the woods by the Nan Chao River behind the village.

  The political team leader fled in a hurry, but San Kui's wife suffered the consequences. San Kui beat up this shrewish woman so badly that she couldn't get out of bed for a week. San Kui vowed to break the legs of the political team leader's dog, and Zhou Kun was afraid, so he rushed to the big team to ask Zhou Jianguo for help to mediate.

  In fact, Zhou Jianguo looked down on this distant cousin who was ignorant and mischievous. Zhou Kun had often been scolded by Zhou Jianguo for his wrongdoings. Usually, Zhou Kun didn't dare to find Zhou Jianguo when he needed something. But this time it's different, Zhou Jianguo happened to have a difficult situation that required Zhou Kun's help.